Ashley Shepard, Forgotten Hero

Chapter 20

/Kathryn Shepard\

I saw Ashley fly into the water and I want to go get her but I have to stop that assassin. Mission before anything, even family. We get shot down and have to fight in an elevator, Ashley flying into the water still heavy on my mind.

"Kaiden, Rose listen to me!" I just locked the door and they are pointing their guns at me.

"Why?"

"Cerberus troops are right through that door! Udina set you up!"

We lower our guns and I have to shoot Udina. I sigh and remember Ashley.

"Ashley, shit."

I quickly hop in a car and go to where she fell in. People are pulling her out and I land near them, I run over to her and her face is bloody and she isn't moving.

"Ashley!"

A medic turns towards me,"You know her?"

"Ya, she's my cousin."

He nods and I follow him to the hospital, where Thane is. First I visit Thane, "Thane..."

We say a pray for him and he passes, his son Kolyat is with us. I visit Ashley next and she is pale, if I had stopped to help her. I just sit in a chair next to her, trying not to cry and trying to just destroy stuff.

"Commander, visiting hours are over."

Slowly I stand up and leave the hospital, Garrus and Liara are in the lobby you could call it. Garrus grabs my hand and Liara pats my back. As we are getting back on the Normandy Kaiden and Rose stop us.

"Commander we have to apologize for not believing in you, also we would like to come back on the Normandy."

I nod my head and go up to my cabin, where I hold my head In my hands because of the stupid call I made. If I had told Liara or Garrus to go down and get her then she could've gotten help faster, but I made the stupid call to put mission before my team, before my friend am before my own family.

"Shepard can I come in?"

"Come in Liara."

"Two reasons why I came up, one I am making a time capsule in case all of tis fails. The other reason is to see if you're ok, you seem distant Shepard."

I look up at my friend and just sigh.

"I have this reoccurring nightmare, I am chasing after a little boy I couldn't save and now everyone I lost is haunting me and I don't want to have both Ashley's in my nightmare. One Ashley is horrible, but both..."

She pats my shoulder and pulls me into a hug, then we work on the time capsule. I know that if Ashley dies because of a call I made, I couldn't live with myself. I can barely do that now, so many lives ride on the choices I make.

I lost Ashley Williams because of the call I made on Virmire and I can't loose Ashley Dawn-Shepard because of a call I made today.

I just can't.

/Joker\

I want to punch the Commander right now, Garrus told me that she didn't make it an option to save Ashley. She just let her fly into the water and not look back, but she is sad so at least she feels guilty.

"Joker, don't blame the Commander."

"James how can I not, she is like a sister to me and Shepard left her. This is like when she abandoned her, I still haven't gotten an answer about that," I snap at James.

"Joker, she like a sister to all of us. But do you see us yelling, and being mad at the Commander."

My anger grows as he says that, they don't care about her as much.

"Guys, after Shepard died...." I can't tell them I went into a depression.

"What Joker?"

I take a deep breath.

"I slipped into a depression ok, Ashley helped me out of it because she was the only one that probably remember that I saw her get spaced. She saved me and if my Commander can't save a sixteen year old girl then what makes it seem that she can save anyone else."

They are silent, they don't speak at all.

"Joker, are we the only ones that know that?"

"Yes James, only you, Rose and Kaiden know this."

Liara walks towards us and a frown is on her face.

"Shepard is a mess, not making a call to help Ashley is really getting to her."

Now my anger at Shepard dwindles, she really feels guilty.

/Ashley\

I wake up in a hospital in Thessia and Zaria is standing next to me.

"Hey Zar, why am I here? I thought we were on Illium."

"The Quarians ambushed us there, remember. Mia......."

"Let me guess, I did something stupud."

"Yep, squirt we can't save them all."

A single tear slips down my face as we leave the hospital, I guess I got a little to sad after I sent that email to her parents.

"Thessia is beautiful Zar, but where is Jules and Kaid?"

"Oh they're at the park, waiting for us, they're worried about you Ash. The whole crew and your friends are worried."

"I'm fine Zar."

"Ashley your twelve and you have your own ship, lost your men and crew to attacks, you lost your parents. I'm sorry that we're worried but you aren't even eighteen."

I sigh, "Zar I know, but everyone fighting in this war is younger than eighteen."

We both sigh, all the adults are either dead, incapacitated or to old to fight. It's all teenagers from 11 and up fighting this god damn war. When we reach the park I run and hug Kaid, and he pulls me into a kiss.

Alarms blade and they aren't the good kind, I don't think there is a good kind of alarm.

"They have a bomb!"

I hear an explosion and the shock wave flings me into the lake near the park. I hear splashes around me and I know my friends flew into the lake also. My friends were sinking and so am I, but I think I am the only one conscious.

I use my biotic throw to fling them to the surface, but I send myself deeper into the lake. A biotic force pulls me towards the surface, it must be an Asari. My head is throbbing and cloudy as I run out of air, why was I so stupid? My world fades to blackness as I let out my last breath of air.

( Ya, thank you guys for voting but i just dont think that enough people read my story to be able to get votes that are any more then three. So you don't need to vote anymore, but I would still love it if you did

Also I really wanted to post this update, so hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Oh and there will be a sequel, I am fully decided because the way I'm ending it there has to be.)